Queensland Floods

[Magenta]

Some updates...

The Brisbane River peaked this morning, thankfully lower than 1974, at 4.46 metres, is now falling but is expected to go back up to about 4.2m at high tide this afternoon.

Just under 12,000 properties are inundated in Brisbane, with many more partially inundated. Power is still off to over 100,000 homes and will be gradually reconnected as the water recedes.

There's a colossal amount of debris in the Brisbane River: the floating walkway that used to be at New Farm is now a shipping hazard out in Moreton Bay; there's lots of boats, pontoons, boats still attached to pontoons and other stuff going out into the bay.

Further afield, there's a major search and rescue operation under way in the Lockyer Valley. The death toll has risen to 13 with another body found near Grantham and more expected.

The Bremer River in Ipswich peaked a couple of metres below the 1974 level.

Over 70 towns and cities across Queensland are flood affected; major roads and rail lines are still cut; food supplies have been flown into Townsville and Bundaberg. Rockhampton is still cut off by road and likely to remain so for awhile. Flood levels are still rising in Condamine and Goondiwindi, and Condamine is being evacuated again.

The recovery and reconstruction after this is going to be of epic proportions...

Another one I've got wrong. Someone on the radio this morning was talking about the Brisbane desal plant. Must have been referring to the GC one.

I expect some of the reporters who don't usually report from Queensland are being geographically challenged.

 

[lionking]

14 dead now. And a cyclone brewing off the North Queensland coast. Meanwhile, we just had 20mm in an hour in Melbourne, and a lot more to come.

 

[Magenta]

14 dead now. And a cyclone brewing off the North Queensland coast. Meanwhile, we just had 20mm in an hour in Melbourne, and a lot more to come.

I first misread that as 200mm!

I was reflecting on the potential for the flood in Brisbane to have been much worse. As it happened, the relative lack of rainfall in the catchment in the past few days and forecast for the near future allowed water to be held back in Wivenhoe. And also this happened a week before the January king tides.

 

[lionking]

I first misread that as 200mm! .

Funny you say that, Scamanda on Tassie's east coast has had 278mm since 9am today. Crazy stuff.

 

[icerat]

I'm wondering just how dry Clarendon Dam was, all that rain and only 70%?

Clarendon has virtually no catchment area, it's used for irrigation only and apparently filled by pump out of Lockyer creek.

 

[Magenta]

A bit more on the Toowoomba/Lockyer Valley rainstorm and flash flooding.

This is a video of a press conference from earlier in the week about this event. Jim Davidson from the Bureau of Meteorology explains how the rainstorm developed and the limitations of forecasting an extreme event on a local scale, and therefore on being able to warn people in sufficient time (starts at the 6.50 mark):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XsZnFZJ8QQ

Last night the 7.30 Report had a feature from Murphy's Creek, one of the areas in the Lockyer Valley that was devastated by the flash flooding. It's sobering to see the destruction where lives were saved and others lost in extraordinary circumstances.

The relevant video is titled "Grim day of searching in the Lockyer Valley".
http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/

 

[icerat]

Murphy's Creek Lockyer Valley.

 

[Magenta]

This has got to be one of my favourite photos from this flood. (It's a frog riding on the back of a snake through floodwater.)

Murphy's Creek Lockyer Valley.

Water has such awesome power.

 

[Akhenaten]

Broadford, Victoria - 0300 hr AEDT, Friday, 14 January, 2011

Eponymous​

1.8 metres and rising (normally zero).

More when the Sun comes up.

 

[Akhenaten]

Brisbane, Thursday, 13 January, 2011

Albion Park Raceway. The first race may be delayed for a bit.
ABC News Photo

D'ya need a hand there, Cobber?
AAP Photo​

 

[Akhenaten]

I lived there for around three years and still have a soft spot for the place. I wish you guys all the best. Stay safe, mate.

ETA: I was surprised to see that Kangaroo Point was on the list of places at risk. What's up with that? I mean it is mostly high ground isn't it?

Isn't that right on the river, next to the Storey Bridge? I stayed there for a week in '09, beautiful spot right on the water. I wouldn't be surprised if it went under.

Looking towards Kangaroo Point
AAP Photo​

 

[Sideroxylon]

[qimg]http://www.yvonneclaireadams.com/HostedStuff/BrisbaneFlood2011_01.jpg[/qimg]
Albion Park Raceway. The first race may be delayed for a bit.
ABC News Photo​

Officially rated heavy 10 I think.

Thanks for the pics. The view from Kangaroo Point makes me a little homesick.​

 

[Akhenaten]

I know the feeling, mate. The photos from Toowoomba are my personal heartbreak, although some of them help to lighten the mood a little . . .

Flood control measures - University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba
Photo: Rachel Hawkes​

USQ is on high ground at Darling Heights, to the South of the city - the catchment in which the wall of water that hit the CBD originated.

If only they'd had a few more buckets.

 

[lionking]

Broadford, Victoria - 0300 hr AEDT, Friday, 14 January, 2011

http://www.yvonneclaireadams.com/HostedStuff/FloodJanuary2011_01.jpg
Eponymous​

1.8 metres and rising (normally zero).

More when the Sun comes up.

There's a lot more rain on the radar. Are you safe?

 

[Akhenaten]

There's a lot more rain on the radar. Are you safe?

Yep. This is the same place at 7:00 am.

The good news is that this has dropped almost a metre since 3:00 am.

The bad news is that the water is now heading for places like Shepparton, Mooroopna, etcetera, and that, as you point out, it's pissing down again.

I'm more worried about the Western Districts at the moment though. Beaufort is being evacuated and places like Hall's Gap are in a lot of trouble.

 

[Akhenaten]

Goondiwindi is currently the area of most concern in Queensland. This is where the water from the Toowoomba flood actually went.

The Macintyre River at Goondiwindi, Queensland (New South Wales is across the bridge) - 13 January 2011.
The levee protecting the town is at the 11 metre level. Current level is approximately 10.8 metres.
Photo: Goondiwindi Regional Council​

 

[gumboot]

My sister sent me some photos from around her area in Brisbane, and it's pretty sobering to see. Nice classic "up the rivier" photo except it's not a river, it's a major Highway, or it was. She's safe fortunately, they're on high ground, although they've had no power since Tuesday or Wednesday, but her local shops are a swimming pool and her work place is underwater too.

Also a sobering thought to be reminded of, the deathtoll the media has been offering up (15 at the moment I think) is only for the floods this week. There's over 30 confirmed deaths so far from the Queensland flooding, and media are indicating there's substantial numbers of bodies that have been recovered but not added to the official toll yet. This truly is a calamity.

Those pictures and videos of Murphy's Creek in the Lockyer Valley posted by icerat really illustrate the magnitude. Heard a wooman from outside Ipswitch (sp?) on the news the other day saying that they hadn't even known they were in danger of flooding, then one morning they just lost power, popped outside, and the dry creek bed (never had water in it in five years they'd lived there) outside their home was 120m across and flowing with enough force to carry away not just all their farm machinery but the sheds as well.

 

[Akhenaten]

This won't end well​

 

[gumboot]

Goondiwindi is currently the area of most concern in Queensland. This is where the water from the Toowoomba flood actually went.

Are you sure about that? I thought that water went into the Lockyer Valley (N and E). Goondiwindi (S and W) seems to be threatened by the McIntyre River which doesn't appear to feed out of Toowoomba - in fact it looks to me like there's some low hills between the two places.

 

[Akhenaten]

My sister sent me some photos from around her area in Brisbane, and it's pretty sobering to see. Nice classic "up the rivier" photo except it's not a river, it's a major Highway, or it was. She's safe fortunately, they're on high ground, although they've had no power since Tuesday or Wednesday, but her local shops are a swimming pool and her work place is underwater too.

It's a blessing that Brisbane is as hilly as it is. It means that while some areas of the City have been devastated, other parts remain unscathed and thus the residents are able to offer assistance to those less fortunate. The stories that are now being told (and indeed, created even as we speak) about the way in which people have been helping each other out are truly inspiring.

Also a sobering thought to be reminded of, the deathtoll the media has been offering up (15 at the moment I think) is only for the floods this week. There's over 30 confirmed deaths so far from the Queensland flooding, and media are indicating there's substantial numbers of bodies that have been recovered but not added to the official toll yet. This truly is a calamity.

This is something that's been playing on my mind a lot over the last few days. The latest figure I've heard is 61 missing and I have little hope that they'll be found safe and sound.

Those pictures and videos of Murphy's Creek in the Lockyer Valley posted by icerat really illustrate the magnitude. Heard a wooman from outside Ipswitch (sp?) on the news the other day saying that they hadn't even known they were in danger of flooding, then one morning they just lost power, popped outside, and the dry creek bed (never had water in it in five years they'd lived there) outside their home was 120m across and flowing with enough force to carry away not just all their farm machinery but the sheds as well.

I first moved to Toowoomba in 1975 and I've lived there off and on ever since and have never seen anything like what's been occurring this week.

Murphy's Creek is just one example of something you would never credit happening. The headwaters of the creek are on the escarpment at Ballard, on the outskirts of Toowoomba, and from there to where the houses have been washed away is only a distance of about 5 kilometres or so. It's hard to believe that such a small catchment could generate such a volume of water.